Grow To Savehttp://growtosave.com
Be Independent and Save Money by Growing Your Own FoodThu, 19 Oct 2017 22:27:10 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8growtosave.comhttps://feedburner.google.com/fb/images/pub/fb_pwrd.gifGrow To Savehttp://growtosave.com/freezing-peppers
http://growtosave.com/freezing-peppers#respondThu, 19 Oct 2017 19:15:08 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=1072 Freezing Peppers Guide Brrr. I’m cold just thinking about winter coming. It’ll be here soon and if you’re like me, you want to enjoy your peppers during the cold months. Freezing peppers can definitely help with that. The good news is freezing peppers is simple and easy. Of all the methods of preserving peppers, freezing […]

Step 1:

Pick your peppers and wash them well. Using a colander makes this easy. Make sure your peppers are ripe. If they aren’t, consider waiting until they are.

For example, the peppers in the picture are Cherry Bombs. Like many peppers, they turn fully red when ripe. Some of the ones I picked were still green around the stem, so I set them off to the side to wait.

Step 2:

Cut the backs off the peppers and gut them. Try to get out as much of the seeds and white membrane (placenta) as you can. You can buy pepper deseeder tools like the one I’m using. They definitely make this work faster and easier.

My tool is sharp plastic. The smooth side works great. But the serrated side has some pretty gnarly teeth that have a tendency to destroy what I’m working on. Smaller teeth probably wouldn’t be an issue. If you are looking to buy a tool yourself, keep this in mind.

Step 3:

Place your peppers on a cookie sheet and spread them out slightly. The goal here is to not let any of them touch. Doing so will allow the peppers to freeze individually so they don’t stick together later.

Step 4:

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer and let them freeze solid. This sheet took about 2 hours.

Leaving your peppers longer than this isn’t a big deal. However, if your freezer has a smell to it, the peppers can absorb it over time.

So it’s a good idea to keep this process short and sweet.

Step 5:

Now, put your peppers in a freezer bag and write the type and the date. Try to squeeze all the air out before you seal it completely. Place the bag in the freezer and you’re done!

See, wasn’t freezing peppers simple? Now whenever you need some just open and grab what you want. Thawing the entire bag isn’t necessary.

The texture of the peppers will be not be as crisp as fresh. But they still taste every bit as good. And they thaw pretty fast too!

Finished

One thing to be aware of is that while they’re thawing, they will become kind of juicy/watery. Putting them in a colander in the sink will prevent any countertop messes.

Know someone who could use this guide? Please share it with them! If you know any other tips or tricks on freezing peppers I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

Have a great day!

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]]>http://growtosave.com/freezing-peppers/feed0http://growtosave.com/swiss-chard-recipe
http://growtosave.com/swiss-chard-recipe#respondFri, 13 Oct 2017 03:40:22 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=1028 Easy Swiss Chard Recipe – Italian Style Would you like a simple Swiss Chard recipe that’s totally delicious and nutritious? I’m guessing that’s a yes and it’s why you’re here. Maybe you have some coming in from your fall garden. The good news is what I’m about to share with you is exactly that. The […]

Easy Swiss Chard Recipe - Italian Style

Would you like a simple Swiss Chard recipe that’s totally delicious and nutritious? I’m guessing that’s a yes and it’s why you’re here. Maybe you have some coming in from your fall garden.

The good news is what I’m about to share with you is exactly that. The bad news? I don’t have any exact measurements. This recipe comes from my wife’s Italian grandma. I don’t think she uses measurements.

As you can probably guess from the large stack of Swiss Chard above, I didn’t measure anything anyways. Woulda, coulda, shoulda weighed it at least. But I was just trying to finish quickly.

Sometimes being a parent will force you to do that.

Anyways, despite no exact measurments, I can definitely give you some approximates. Pay attention to the size of that stack. Here it is from another angle:

Would you look at the size of this one leaf? Just look at it!

Ingredients:

Remember how I said this was a simple Swiss Chard recipe? All you need is Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Garlic.

That’s it!

The amounts you use will depend on how much Swiss Chard you’re cooking and your own taste buds. You are free to use EV Olive Oil if you want. Be sure to use enough, but don’t overdo it. Soggy chard isn’t fun and too little won’t be enough for flavor.

Be forewarned: garlic can go a long ways. I only used 2 cloves with all of this.

Directions:

Step 1: Wash your leaves very well. There was quite a bit of dirt on mine. Also, unless you like the stems, break them off at the base of the leaf.

Step 2: Get a big pot (or 2 in my case) and get the water boiling. You may want to start this while you’re washing. Adding a little salt can help the water boil faster.

Drop your leaves into boiling water and let continue to boil for about 5-7 minutes. Drain everything into a colander.

Step 3: Use a pair of tongs to gently pick up your leaves and lay them somewhat evenly onto a cutting board. It doesn’t have to be perfect but try to lay the leaves flat.

Everythning is very soft at this point so be sure to handle with care.

Step 4: Take a knife and run it long ways and side ways. You basically want to cut it into squares.

Ideally you want about 1 inch squares. But feel free to go smaller if you like.

Step 5: At this point everything should have cooled down enough for you to handle by hand. If not, just wait until it has.

Put everything back into your colander and toss it around by hand. This will help free the leaves from each other and drain excess water.

Remember how I said to pay attention to how much I started with? Look at it now. Doesn’t even fill your average colander.

Step 6: Add the Olive Oil to your pan and turn on medium to medium-high heat. Let the oil heat up a little before adding the Swiss Chard.

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]]>http://growtosave.com/swiss-chard-recipe/feed0http://growtosave.com/compost-tea
http://growtosave.com/compost-tea#respondFri, 06 Oct 2017 19:38:28 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=1000 Compost Tea I guarantee your reaction to drinking compost tea would not be the same as above. Love me some tea, but compost tea is a plants only beverage. You’ll see why in a few minutes. First let’s talk about what it is exactly. Most gardeners are familiar with what compost is. I wrote […]

Compost Tea

I guarantee your reaction to drinking compost tea would not be the same as above. Love me some tea, but compost tea is a plants only beverage. You’ll see why in a few minutes.

First let’s talk about what it is exactly. Most gardeners are familiar with what compost is. I wrote an in-depth article about it if you want to read up on the many different compost methods.

Compost tea is basically a liquified version of compost. In it’s simplest form, it is just compost and water mixed together well and added to your plants. But to really gain the most from it, it needs to be brewed.

Types of Compost Tea

As mentioned above, there is a simple way to make it by simply mixing compost with water. This method is easy, quick and can be added straight to plants. But it doesn’t maximize the value of the tea. That’s because you’re not increasing the beneficial microbes.

Brewing compost tea is what brings out those microbes, which can really add to your soil and do great things for your plants. There are a few methods to this, but the main factor in this is adding air to the mixture. This is done via an aerator.

The purpose of adding air is to create a highly oxygenated environment which encourages aerobic growth of the beneficial bacteria. It’s not a super quick method, usually taking between 24-72 hours. But it’s worth it.

Making Your Own Brew

The basic necessities for brewing compost tea is a 5 gallon bucket, a permeable bag to steep the compost in (optional), and an aerator. These items are cheap and if you don’t have your own compost you can pick up a bag at your local garden center. You don’t need very much.

Other ingredients include molasses (no preservatives), 5-1-1 fish fertilizer, and liquid seaweed fertilizer. You only need a couple handfuls of compost, 2-3 tablespoons of molasses and one-ish tablespoon of either fertilizers. The sugar from the molasses feeds the bacteria causing them to multiply like crazy under the aerobic conditions.

Make sure you are using a clean bucket and air tubes. Plug in your aerator to a GFI protected outlet and run the cord where it can’t get wet. Fill the bucket to about 5″ below the top with water. Set the aerator in and turn on, then add and mix the ingredients together. Leave this to brew for 24-72 hours.

IMPORTANT: You must use non-chlorinated water… this includes tap water. Chlorine will kill off the beneficial microbes you’re trying to support. If you have to, just buy water. You can try to out-gas the the chlorine by running the aerator in the water for about 1/2 hour before adding the ingredients. However, this doesn’t elimiate all types of chlorine. Ideally, rainwater would be best.

Using A Pre-Made Brew

Pre-made brews such as Boogie Brew are out of the box solutions for compost tea. They do tend to be a bit pricy, but gardeners who use them say it definitely makes a difference.

The great thing about them is that they are usually well tested recipes. That means they’re great to use without any additions straight from the box.

Some people add other things such as more compost or rock dust but this isn’t necessary. The brewing process itself is the same as described above.

One drawback to these is that they don’t have a long shelf life. This is mainly because the product inside is alive, just like how any great soil is alive. So if you’re going to buy any, try to make sure it’s fresh.

When The Brew Is Ready

The final product of compost tea will be very foamy. This is due to the rapid population growth of the micro organisms. Now you are ready to feed your plants and soil.

You can also put your compost tea in a spray bottle and apply it to the leaves. Plants can absorb nutrients through their leaves and the solution can also act as a protective barrier.

One last thing to keep in mind, diluting your tea before applying may be a good idea. Although not completely necessary, it can be pretty strong and your plants/soil might not be prepared for it. Plus, diluting it a little can make it go farther.

Video Explanation

I hope you enjoyed this article! If you liked it and learned something please don’t hesitate to share. Got any tips for compost tea? Drop them in the comments below. I would love to hear them.

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]]>http://growtosave.com/compost-tea/feed0Pickled Peppershttp://growtosave.com/pickled-peppers
http://growtosave.com/pickled-peppers#respondWed, 27 Sep 2017 21:18:59 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=980 Pickled Peppers From Your Garden Late September is one of those grand times of the year. The season is changing, football is back and Fall is in the air. If you planted peppers, chances are you’re getting a lot right now. With everything ripening up all around the same time you might be wondering […]

Pickled Peppers From Your Garden

Late September is one of those grand times of the year. The season is changing, football is back and Fall is in the air. If you planted peppers, chances are you’re getting a lot right now.

With everything ripening up all around the same time you might be wondering what you can do with them. Eating them fresh is great. You can make salsas, grill them, fry them, stuff them, dry them.

The options go on and on. But if you want to make them last and be delicious you can pickle them. This opens a whole new world of possibilities.

The Options

There are basically two options to to canning your pickled peppers:

1.) Water bath canning, which will preserve them for a long time. This process takes a little bit of care to do it right, but the end result is shelf stable for up to a year or more. This process will cook your peppers in the jars however, and can leave them soft.

2.) Quick canning, which takes less time to process than water bath canning. The drawback is that your peppers will need to be stored in the fridge and even then won’t last as long. But the other benefit is that your peppers remain crisp.

There is a third method if you consider fermenting. Personally I haven’t liked the fermented peppers I’ve made in the past based on this guide. However, I will try some more recipes and see how it goes.

Water Bath Canning

When it comes to water bath canning there is one key thing that comes into play: sterilization. Before you even add your ingredients to your jars they have to be sterilized.

To do this, simply use the pot you will be canning with. Insert the jars open, top up and fill the pot & jars with hot water to one inch above them. Then bring it to a rolling boil and let them boil for 15 minutes.

Afterwards, you can kill the heat and carefully remove the jars. Try to leave roughly the same amount of water for later. It’s a good idea to have your ingredients ready to pack immediately. Simply put, your jars won’t stay sterile for long.

Next step, pack your jars with peppers and whatever other ingredients your recipe requires. Fill the jars with liquid and try to remove all the air bubbles. Tapping them on the counter helps.

Make sure you use new lids, which can be sterilized by boiling in a separate small pot of water for 10 minutes.

The Cooking Part

Bring your main pot back to a boil and put the jars back in. Let them boil for the required recipe time, which is usually no less than 10 minutes. Then remove carefully and let cool on you counter.

Within an hour or so all of your jars should seal. If they don’t and you can depress the tops, then you can try processing them again. If you don’t want to, then eat whatever is in those jars right away and don’t try to save them long term.

Cooking them again will cause your peppers to get even softer. So you may decide you don’t want to, and that’s fine. Just be sure to refrigerate and finish within a month or so.

Quick Canning

The Quick Canning method is very simple. But it does require refrigeration. Just this past week I made pickled peppers from the Cherry Bombs shown above.

I used this recipe and it is absolutely amazing! It’s very easy and I highly recommend trying it. The mixture is kind of sweet and tangy. These peppers aren’t going to last long.

Unlike the Water Bath method, you don’t have to sterilize the heck out of everything. Just make sure your jars are clean. Pack them tightly with your peppers and whatever other ingredients you want.

Now for your pickle mixture. Bring it to a boil, remove from heat, let cool for a minute and pour into your jars, up to about 1/2 inch from the top. Again, do your best to remove bubbles. Then let everything cool to room temperature, put the lids on and stick them in the fridge.

The other option would be to bring your peppers to a boil with the pickle. Then you’d just move the peppers to jars with tongs and pour the pickle over it. That’s all there is to it! Just be sure to eat them within a month or so.

What kind of pickles will you make?

I hope this article found you well and that you learned something. If you’re planning to make pickled peppers yourself, or have had some great success with other recipes, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Don’t forget to subscribe and have a great day!

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]]>http://growtosave.com/pickled-peppers/feed0Cross Pollinating Peppershttp://growtosave.com/cross-pollinating-peppers
http://growtosave.com/cross-pollinating-peppers#respondWed, 20 Sep 2017 22:58:03 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=932 Cross Pollinating Peppers Have you ever wanted to try your hand at cross pollinating peppers? Maybe this hasn’t crossed your mind (pun intended). But it’s a real possibility. If you grow peppers in your own garden, this might have already happened to you on accident. Especially if you grew them close together. In fact, […]

Cross Pollinating Peppers

If you grow peppers in your own garden, this might have already happened to you on accident. Especially if you grew them close together. In fact, it happened to me this year.

My Experience This Year - 2017

In this picture you can see 2 very different looking peppers… on the exact same plant. There’s been a bumble bee enjoying all the flowers in the small pepper area I planted.

This never even crossed my mind when planning out the garden this year. Even though I’ve had experience in the past where planting hot peppers close to not-so-hot ones caused them to be on fire.

In fact, when I started this particular plant (and the ones surrounding it) from seed, I thought they were Scotch Bonnets which are pretty hot. They would’ve been the hottest in the whole bed.

Turns out they were Cherry Bomb peppers. Next to them went Jalapenos, then one Cayenne, and finally several more Cherry Bombs… because I didn’t think I would have any and wanted a bunch.

The Entire Pepper Bed

As you can see in this picture, everything was planted in very close proximity to each other. I think the distance was at most 16 or 18 inches between each plant. That’s not very far. These were planted this way because I knew how good this area was for growing from last year and I wanted to maximize capacity.

For gardeners planning to save their own pepper seeds for next year, it is recommended to separate different varieties of peppers by 50 feet. For farmers the distance is much greater. As far as mile.

Of course this is if you don’t want cross pollinated peppers. If you do, then doing what I’ve done above can definitely help with cross pollinating peppers naturally. All you’ll need is the help of some pollinators. Or you can do it yourself.

How Cross Pollination Works

Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica

This picture explains how it happens in nature via pollenators such as bees. As mentioned above, I believe a bumble bee is responsible for cross pollination in my pepper bed. I have seen him multiple times in this area.

Bees can easily fly long distances. That is why it is encouraged to grow plants you *don’t* want cross pollinated far apart. This can reduce the chances that the bee with pollen from one plant won’t fly to another.

Pepper plants are actually self pollinating. They don’t need the help of bees. A gentle breeze that rustles the plant is all they need.

Actually, if you’re having problems with your peppers not germinating you can simply tap on the plant, or use an electric toothbrush, near open flowers to get things going.

What if you wanted to do this on your own?

Cross pollinating peppers on your own really isn’t that difficult. But you will need to be careful how you do it. Otherwise the process will fail. Rather than try to explain it in text, I’ve found a great video explanation:

Saving Seeds for Next Year

If you watched the video you probably heard him say that you will not see the traits from cross pollinating peppers until you’ve planted the next generation. Well in my experience, this isn’t completely true.

Now, it may be that the next generation of plants that comes from these seeds is very different from what is pictured. If that’s the case, I can’t wait to see.

At the time of writing this I still haven’t tasted these large peppers yet. They are just now turning ripe. My parents are coming in town soon so I would like to wait on trying them until they’re here if possible.

Now let’s discuss how to properly save cross pollinated seeds for next season.

Best Practices for Saving Seeds

Saving pepper seeds is incredibly simple. All you have to do is collect peppers from your best producing plant. Wait until the peppers are ripe, maybe even a little wrinkly. Many peppers will turn red when they ripen, as you can see in the picture.

Harvest the pepper(s) and cut off the back end. Depending on the size of the pepper, you can core out the white part from the inside the same way you would if making Jalapeno Poppers.

If that won’t work or the pepper is too small, then gently slice long ways through one wall (don’t split the whole pepper in half) all the way to the end and peel it in half to expose the seeds.

Then gently remove all the seeds from the placenta (white part). Spread them out and allow them to dry for a few days.

Storing Seeds

Keeping your seeds for next year is also simple. Just store them in a labeled paper envelope. Keep them in a cool, dry place like your spice cabinet or something.

If you really want to get serious you can use some seed packets. They could come in very handy for saving and organizing seeds from many varieties of plants.

I have used a paper plate in the past which got shuffled around the house. Yeah, my wife didn’t like that too much. Save yourself the trouble!

One last thing: it is advisable to use your seeds within one year. After that they become less likely to germinate.

My Plans and Hopes

Don't forget to enjoy your peppers!

The peppers in this picture are stuffed Cherry Bombs. I cut off the stem ends, cut out the seeds and grilled them topside down for a few minutes. Then I brought them inside and stuffed them with cream cheese and smoked pork before putting them back on the grill to finish off. Talk about fantastic!

My plans are to save the seeds from the cross pollenated peppers above and plant them next year to see what happens. They are similar in shape to the Jalapenos that they were crossed with, but much bigger around. Meaning they can be stuffed with so many more goodies.

If, and I mean IF they come out similar to this year, I will attempt to save all the seeds I can. Depending on how many I have, I will probably try to give them away. We’re talking end of next year (2018) or early Spring 2019.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. Sign up to our mailing list for updates and tips from Grow To Save!

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]]>http://growtosave.com/cross-pollinating-peppers/feed02017 Growing Season – September Updatehttp://growtosave.com/2017-growing-season-september-update
http://growtosave.com/2017-growing-season-september-update#respondFri, 15 Sep 2017 03:37:59 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=822 It’s Time For An Update – September 2017 Looking back at recent posts, I’ve realized something is missing. That would be an update! The last of which was done back on May 22. A lot has happened since then, including our second daughter being born a few days ago (9/11). I apologize for not […]

It's Time For An Update - September 2017

Looking back at recent posts, I’ve realized something is missing. That would be an update! The last of which was done back on May 22. A lot has happened since then, including our second daughter being born a few days ago (9/11). I apologize for not doing this sooner.

If I’m being honest, I’ve been pretty bad about documenting things this year. Life has a funny way of catching up with you, especially when you’re a parent and trying to start a business. Some of these pics have been uploaded to the Facebook page so you may have seen them before. I’m simply trying to put them all in one place.

That being said, this will be a long and very photo-rich post. So my apologies if the page loads slow. It’s an unfortunate side effect for my procrastination…

End of May

The end of May (after the last update) was when most plants were either planted, or had been for a week or so. As you scroll you can see the progression of how things have grown.

Note that some plants have been removed and/or replaced after their short life spans. One of those plants in particular was Spinach. It went to seed fast.

As you’ll see towards the end, I think the Spinach seeds are what is sprouting as opposed to the Swiss Chard I recently planted in the same area.

5/28 - Sugar Snap Peas on trellis

5/28 - Sugar Snap Peas in front, Cucumbers in back

5/28 - Collards, Kale, Spinach & Lettuce

5/28 - More Kale, Lettuces & Swiss Chard

5/28 - End of Kale, Pak Choy & Garden Beans

5/28 - Seed start peppers transplanted

Now June

Like I said, some of my photo documenting of things has been very poor this summer.

As a matter of fact, looking back to 2016 the same thing happened. But I wasn’t running a blog then so it wasn’t a big deal.

Seems like summers have way of making one kind of lazy. Maybe the other half of it is just being so busy with a million other things that one forgets…

Unfortunately I only have 2 pictures for June. They are of the self-watering buckets I made for the tomato plants. Btw, these buckets work great! I highly recommend making some for your own garden.

6/7 - Self Watering Buckets Built

6/7 - Self Watering Buckets also planted

On to July!

7/1/2017 - Radish harvest

As usual, July in Michigan proved to be a month of significant growth. Of course I kept everything well watered… and that can get a little expensive. Unfortunately we didn’t get much rain.

If you read that post from May 22 linked above, you’ll see that plants tend to grow a lot at night. So my watering habits were usually during the afternoon/evening hours every day throughout the dry summer heat. This gave everything a significant opportunity to uptake plenty of water during the growth period.

I also fed everything with Miracle Grow All Purpose Plant Food every 2 – 3 weeks. Between feedings I would hand sprinkle Epsom Salt (found it BOGO at our local supermarket) around the base of the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers before watering.

We saved our egg shells for a few weeks and on 7/20 I ground them up and sprinkled them around the bases of the plants mentioned above. This provides the plants with calcium and helps prevent blossom end rot. The magnesium in Epsom salt helps the plants uptake the calcium and other nutrients.

In the pictures below I will attempt to show side-by-sides of early and late July. Fortunately this month did get a lot more pictures. You can see how much growth was made in just a few weeks time.

How About August?

Once again I fudged on getting consistent update pics. I promise I will try and do better next year. The pics below will mostly just showcase some of the excellent harvests we had throughout the month.

One thing I will say is that my wife’s grandma (straight from Italy) has an amazing recipe for Swiss Chard. Had I known how much we’d all like it, including our 1 yr old, I’d have skipped the Kale and grown a lot more of it.

Ahhh hindsight. You’re always 20/20. Kale was not thoroughly enjoyed in our household, and it grew like crazy in our garden. We actually donated a lot of it to a local food bank. But I will say that recently I cooked it the same way as the Swiss Chard and it came out great!

8/8 - Ripening Beefsteak Tomatoes

8/14 - Cross Pollinated Peppers!

8/8 - Ripening Tomatoes, not certain of the variety

8/14 - Pepper area getting big!

8/14 - Jalapenos

8/16 - HUGE Jalapenos! Great for suffing.

8/16 - Pineapple Hierloom Tomato

8/21 - Huge bag of Kale we donated

8/19 - Softball Size Tomato!

8/23 - Massive sliced tomato. Delicious.

All Caught Up To September

Can we say "stuffed peppers"?!

If you read the post about fall garden opportunities, it talked about how Swiss Chard (as well as Kale) is fairly frost tolerant. Since we didn’t enjoy the Kale nearly as much, I ripped almost all of it up and planted some Verde De Taglio Swiss Chard that I ordered online.

They were planted on the 7th and thus far they’ve barely begun to sprout. It’s approximately one month until the first frost is due, so hopefully they will be well along by then. They are in a portion of the raised bed that gets full sun so hopefully they’ll get all the light they need.

Basically all of our tomatoes have managed to get a disease that I believe is Septoria Leaf Spot. The rains have begun to come and have perpetuated this with long bouts of moisture on the leaves which allows the fungus to easily spread.

This is why it’s a good idea to water at the base of your plants. I did this, but they still managed to get the disease. Plus I may have taken too long to do anything about it.

From Today - 9/14/2017

So going back to the problem with the fungal infection on the tomatoes, you can see that the plants are nearly bare. I have been stripping back the most infected leaves and branches. I’ve done this twice now and it’s possible I may have gone too far. We’ll just have to see…

To combat the fungus I made a simple homemade baking soda and soap anti-fungal spray according to this recipe. It is said to be scientifically proven to be a good fungicide. It seems to do a decent job so long as I can spray it and we have dry weather. But as soon as the rains come it gets washed off and must be reapplied.

Even with the disease the plants are still growing at the top quite a bit. I’m just hoping the fungicide will help prevent it spreading too much more. That and pruning back what’s been decimated should help too.

I could have swore I took before and after pictures for documenting the effectiveness of the anti-fungal spray. But I can’t seem to find them anywhere. Shame, I’ve been doing this for several weeks now.

One last thing I did today was rip up all the cucumber plants. They were pretty much dead. In their place I planted more Sugar Snap Peas. They are frost tolerant and should help replenish nitrogen to that area of soil.

Very pruned tomatoes

Also very pruned tomatoes

Right side lost all it's leaves

'German Johnson' Heirloom started from an overgrown sucker a few months ago.

More perpective of leaf loss

Fungal damage is no fun

Dill that's about to go to seed. Just past it is garlic and some other "experimental" stuff.

Okra. Last year these were over 6' tall. This year not so much. The one in front came up on it's own.

Super 100 Cherry Tomatoes. They grow like crazy.

Yummy Collard Greens

I think this is Spinach sprouting, not Swiss Chard

No Swiss Chard here yet either

Slight Disappointments - Still 9/14/2017

When I first started peppers from seed this year I was psyched about them being Scotch Bonnets because they’re one of my very favorite peppers. Well, I was wrong.

When I started them, the seeds I had were just stuck to the placenta and not an actual whole pepper. They were the shape of Scotch Bonnets that I had saved from the year before (2015). So I assumed that’s what they were and went on.

Turns out they were Cherry Bomb peppers. Later when buying more peppers for the garden, I picked up 1/2 a dozen more Cherry Bombs because I also like them a lot. My mistake wasn’t discovered until the plants started fruiting.

So I’m definitely out Scotch Bonnets this year. However there is a redeeming factor to this. Due to the efforts a friendly bumble bee, some of the Cherry Bombs got cross pollinated with the Jalapenos (see pic from August).

Now I can’t wait to try these. They’re huge! And I will probably try to save the seeds for next year to see if they’ll come back the same way. Stick around for updates on that.

Pepper area, left side

Pepper area, right side

Sump pump outlet providing constant water to pepper plants nearby.

Just look how tall this plant is next to the outlet. It's past the top of the fence!

Future Sugar Snap Pea area - left side

The raised bed is currently looking pretty bare.

All Caught Up!

End the day with a nice snack: 'Old German' tomatoes with Cayenne & Jalapeno

Whew! That was a long post. It also took a long time to put together. Next time I’ll try to keep up things better. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing the progress from late May until now.

If you learned something I’d love it if you’d let me know in the comments. Or if you have some tips that’d be great too.

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]]>http://growtosave.com/2017-growing-season-september-update/feed0We Need Young Farmers!http://growtosave.com/agricultural-entrepreneurs
http://growtosave.com/agricultural-entrepreneurs#respondThu, 07 Sep 2017 21:41:03 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=794Fostering Young People to be Agricultural Entrepreneurs Greetings! I hope this article finds you well. Today I want to talk about a subject I’m passionate about. And there’s a reason I am: because it’s extremely important. Without it, life as we know it, especially in First World countries, could not exist. There would be no […]

Today I want to talk about a subject I’m passionate about. And there’s a reason I am: because it’s extremely important. Without it, life as we know it, especially in First World countries, could not exist.

There would be no internet, movies, or TV. No industry, stock market, vehicles, or major forms of communication. A strong military? Forget about it.

I’m talking about agriculture. It is the foundation of civilization. Without it being established the way it is now (and the past few thousand years), each day for us as humans would be a battle to survive. Instead of thriving, we would constantly be struggling just to keep up with having enough to eat.

If you’re not familiar with how early farming began, which lead to the growth of civilization, here is a short read about it. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with history today.

The Aging Farmer Crisis

The problem we are facing isn’t simply that farmers are getting old. It’s that young people are not willing to follow in their footsteps. Interestingly, farmers are about twice as likely to work beyond the age of 65 than other professions. Besides that, farmers aren’t exactly known for being very wealthy. Don’t even mention early mornings and long work days.

These few factors alone are some major deterrents for young people entering the work force. How often do you hear of young people saying they want to be a farmer? Most want a career that pays well, has some benefits, vacation, stability and gives them the option to retire.

I get that. As someone who is only 32 years old at the time of writing this, I understand what it’s like to go through school and weigh your options on what you choose to do with your life. It’s a big decision and often times I feel that young people are swayed by other opportunities within the marketplace.

It’s like they want to get into the middle or top of this giant economic pyramid, the bottom of which is supported by farms. But if the bottom collapses, so does everything else!

Most may never hear about the incredible need there is to feed a growing population. They might hear how bad the long term effects of the current agricultural system are. But they aren’t shown any real, tangible solutions that they can be a part of. As if it’s someone else’s problem.

What Can We Do?

First off, we can help young people understand the power of entrepreneurship and what it means to be a job creator. When you stop to think about farmers, that’s exactly what they are. They are agricultural entrepreneurs.

Each day they wake up and are responsible for everything on their farms. Just like other entrepreneurs, they eat, sleep and breathe their business. And I do believe there is hope for a comfortable income level. Especially when the right relationships are in place.

Small farmers do much of the work themselves. But as you grow, like any business, the true power of being able to produce more comes through delegation, i.e. job creation. When you begin to multiply your efforts this way, your profits can multiply as well.

We also live in an unprecedented time when small, smart (AI) machines will soon be able to do manual labor. I believe this will change things greatly in agriculture, as well as other industries. But alas, that’s a topic for another time…

I could write a small book on entrepreneurship. It’s something I’m very passionate about and consequently, it’s what I got my degree in. So let’s talk about trying to ignite passion in young people to become farmers… aka agricultural entrepreneurs.

To Millennials And Beyond

Millennials are the first in line when it comes to encouraging the young. According to Inc.com, here are 7 common traits of Millennials today:

Passion Matters

Risk Taking

Work-life Alignment

Thinking in Terms of Missions

Allow a New Perspective to Change Your Focus on a Dime

Spontaneity

World Traveling

Of course, I don’t believe that this accounts for all Millennials. But I do believe that many of these traits are desirable among them. And they are also desired among entrepreneurs. Even world traveling can teach a person new perspectives on farming techniques.

Right behind Millennials are Generation Z, who tend to be an extremely techy bunch. Hopefully, they can be the ones to program the mini AI robots. Then we can talk about intensive food production on a large scale.

If we can convince young people, especially ones at the high school level, what the possibilities of agricultural entrepreneurs are I believe we can change our world. And not just change it a little but change it for the better on a grand scale.

Motivation

In my opinion, if we are to foster agricultural entrepreneurship, we need to show young people that the life of a farmer can be very satisfying. It can be mission driven to not only feed people top-quality, highly nutritious food but also play a major role in sustainability. Which, when many people are playing their part, can result in a serious decline in contributions to climate change.

Most young people are aware of our environmental problems. If you didn’t know already, agriculture is currently one of the largest contributors to climate change. Soil erosion is a serious problem. Modern practices with the constant use of chemicals to destroy unwanted pests or weeds are only contributing to that problem. True soil is alive! And the organisms therein need to be kept alive to do their jobs.

It’s understandable that the few farmers today must take steps to manage hundreds of acres of crops at a time. However, I think that a great way to alleviate that burden is to have more people working the land while using good soil building techniques. When the proper agricultural system is in place, one thing feeds another and the cycle of life is balanced instead of broken.

I said all of this to say that I believe if young people had a real cause to get behind, it could change their perspective. We can also show them how agricultural entrepreneurship leads to independence since they are their own bosses. I strongly believe that this is something many Millennials desire.

Not to mention they would be developing skills to survive by feeding themselves and others if the stuff ever “hits the fan.”

Alternatives to “Country Living”

Nowadays there are many small “urban farms” that are doing close to or in excess of six figures per year on just a few acres. There’s no high overhead for huge farm equipment or anything like that. If this model can be replicated many times over, it can show that farmers can be profitable even on small amounts of land.

It’s no secret that money talks. Especially to people that don’t have it, which is usually younger people. And as an agricultural entrepreneur in an urban or suburban environment, they could still enjoy all the benefits of city living. All while making a serious contribution to society and the earth.

There is also a huge push for local produce these days. What better time than now to get started?

Specific Education

With the cost of college tuition only rising continually, this limits the number of people who can afford to go to a traditional college. Besides that, not everyone wants to go to college to realize the American Dream and they shouldn’t have to. Adding to that, as the Harvard Business Review puts it, standard college credentials are becoming unbundled and less relevant.

Aside from this, as far as entrepreneurs go, one doesn’t need a degree to start a business. Will some of the things they learn in school, and possibly some of the relationships they build come in handy? Absolutely. But to think that someone needs a humanities class understand how to build a profitable farm is bogus.

My point is…

As I said, not everyone wants to go to college. It’s definitely not for everyone. But those same people might be convinced that starting a farm as an agricultural entrepreneur is a great idea. Perhaps they like working with their hands the idea of a desk job sounds horrific. So…

If there were alternative hands-on education system in place that taught people how to farm profitably, it would offer a great alternative for them. Especially if this type of system wasn’t outrageously expensive, was government backed, and provided them with the necessary resources and relationships to start.

That would include things like how to find land to farm on, where to buy seeds or livestock, and who to sell them to. You know, the basic ins and outs of farming. Plus, as the network gets bigger over time the opportunities for newcomers would continue to grow.

Becoming government supported may be a long shot. However, there are other alternatives to help fund something like this. Like setting up an organization that takes tax deductible donations. It would require a lot to get it in place and get the word out to the right investors and donors, but it could really be worth it!

What do you think?

One thing I’m hoping this article will accomplish is to encourage some open dialogue about the topic. One of the best ways that can happen is for you to start commenting right here. Sharing to social media can also help. Seriously, I’d love to hear what you think. Please let me know!

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]]>http://growtosave.com/agricultural-entrepreneurs/feed0Heirloom Tomatoes Reviewhttp://growtosave.com/heirloom-tomatoes-review
http://growtosave.com/heirloom-tomatoes-review#commentsTue, 29 Aug 2017 17:12:36 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=730 Heirloom Tomatoes Review Variety Is The Spice of Life These 4 heirloom tomatoes all have their own distinct tastes. I think it’s crazy cool how each variety has it’s own flavor. As you can see in each tag, they all have unique maturity dates and fruit sizes. Fast Fact: Did you know that the […]

Heirloom Tomatoes Review

Variety Is The Spice of Life

These 4 heirloom tomatoes all have their own distinct tastes. I think it’s crazy cool how each variety has it’s own flavor. As you can see in each tag, they all have unique maturity dates and fruit sizes.

Fast Fact: Did you know that the scientific name for tomato, Lycopersicon lycopersicum, means “wolf peach”?

The goal of this article is to talk about the flavors of each variety. We will also be addressing the characteristics of how each plant has grown, at least in my experience.

In order to get more feedback than my own, I asked my wife and her mom to taste each one. We tasted them plain and also slightly salted to bring out the flavors.

Then we wrote down any flavors that stood out, giving each a rating between 1 and 5 with 5 being best. At the end we ranked them 1 through 4 in order of our personal favorites, with 1 being our favorite and 4 being our least favorite.

Growing Factors

Each one of these tomato plants was grown in it’s own self watering bucket. They are made very simply with two 5 gallon buckets, a piece of PVC pipe and a wicking cup.

This video will show you how to make them. It took me about an hour and a half total, including clean up, to make 5 of these self watering buckets. 4 of which were used to grow the heirloom tomatoes being reviewed.

One huge advantage to these buckets is that you can add plant food to them. That way the heirloom tomatoes can feed well for a few days before more water needs to be added again. I personally used Miracle Grow plant food… the blue stuff.

'Old German'

This is my personal favorite of the heirlooms we grew this year. The fruit size averages about the size of a tennis ball, or slightly smaller.

If you read its tag above, you will see that the fruit size is approximately 1 lb. This seems accurate.

The plant itself isn’t very big, nor would I describe it as a prolific grower. Ours didn’t fruit very much. Maybe that has to do with where it was placed. It was between some other plants and may have been slightly light starved.

If you think this variety is up your alley, consider more than one plant.

Colors and Flavors

The ‘Old German’ has a light red, almost orange color once it ripens.

Once sliced, its definitely more orange than red. There’s almost a sunburst appearance to the colors.

The flavors were described as:

“Sweet and earthy; slightly tangy with a mild overall flavor.” My mother in law said it tasted like candy.

This is definitely the sweetest of all the heirloom tomatoes we grew. A little salt with the sweetness is a real treat.

Ratings

The ratings from 1 through 5 were:

Wife: ………………………….. 4

Mother in Law: …………. 5

Me: …………………………….. 5

The “Favorites” order (1 through 4) were:

Wife: ………………………….. 3

Mother in Law: …………. 3

Me: …………………………….. 1

'Pineapple'

This tomato has a neat little horn on it, although this is the only time it has happened.

I’m not sure if something happened in the bottom of the self watering bucket, but this plant has seemed to never need water. Every time I went to top it off, it was practically full from the last time.

The plant has also been very thin compared to the other heirloom tomatoes. Not much growth, and skinny stalks.

However, this tomato is about 1 & 1/2 times the size of the ‘Old German’. So despite it seeming to be a smaller plant, it still produced good sized fruit.

Colors and Flavors

As you can see, this is a very classically red tomato. Upon slicing, that beautiful red hue permeates the whole fruit.

The flavors were described as:

“Tangy! Almost has a bite to it. Kind of acidic. Definitely has a slight taste of pineapple.”

When I first tried it, I was taken back a little. It was almost tart. But the flavor is impressive. Who would have guessed that a tomato could taste like a pineapple?!

This ranked #1 as my wife and her mom’s favorites.

Ratings

The ratings from 1 through 5 were:

Wife: ………………………….. 5

Mother in Law: …………. 5

Me: …………………………….. 4

The “Favorites” order (1 through 4) were:

Wife: ………………………….. 1

Mother in Law: …………. 1

Me: …………………………….. 3

'German Johnson'

Okay, this plant got HUGE! Each plant was surrounded by a tomato cage and this one out-grew it in a very short time.

In fact, one of the main stalks fell over and nearly broke. But it is still going strong. Seriously, this plant has grown like a weed.

About a month ago I took a cutting from a sucker that got too big and stuck it in a small pot by itself, watering regularly. It has already grown a foot and is beginning to fruit.

The ‘German Johnson’ has also produced the biggest fruit of all the heirloom tomatoes by far.

Colors and Flavors

As a whole tomato, its color is not quite as deep of a red as the ‘Pineapple’. It is slightly lighter in hue.

The two sliced pieces in the picture that have more white in them were closer to the stem. The texture of those parts is a little more firm, but still very edible.

Flavors were described as:

“Robust but mild. Very flavorful and juicy.”

Personally I thought this tomato tasted very much the way one would imagine a tomato to taste.

Chances are we will be growing this again.

Ratings

The ratings from 1 through 5 were:

Wife: …………………………. 3

Mother in Law: …………. 5

Me: …………………………….. 5

The “Favorites” order (1 through 4) were:

Wife: ………………………….. 4

Mother in Law: ………….. 2

Me: ………………………………. 2

'Green Zebra'

The ‘Green Zebra’ is definitely the most unique looking of our heirloom tomatoes this year.

At first I wasn’t sure if it was ripe or not because it’s still green on top. But rest assured, it was plenty ripe.

As far as plant growth goes, I would describe its stalk size and growth rate as pretty much standard for a tomato plant. It never got huge or anything.

It’s fruit is close to the size of the ‘Old German’, about a tennis ball. The plant itself didn’t get too much taller than the ‘Old German’ did either.

Colors and Flavors

The colors are very earthy and dark. In the center it’s still just as red as any other tomato. But the outside is dark green.

The green seems to be present throughout the entire tomato once cut. Even though it doesn’t appear that way from the outside.

Flavors were described as:

“Not very sweet; kind of acidic. Also kind of tangy.”

If sweet isn’t your gig and you like your tomatoes to taste earthy and tangy, this is for you. My wife liked it second best of all.

Ratings

The ratings from 1 through 5 were:

Wife: ………………………….. 4

Mother in Law: …………. 3

Me: …………………………….. 3

The “Favorites” order (1 through 4) were:

Wife: ………………………….. 2

Mother in Law: …………. 4

Me: …………………………….. 4

Conclusion

Out of all the heirloom tomatoes we grew this season, it seems that the ‘Green Zebra’ was consistently lower on everyone’s list. However, don’t let that deter you from growing them if you liked the idea of the flavors mentioned.

Not everyone likes the same things, and I am grateful to have the opinions of my wife and her mom as input for this post. My favorite was very low on the list for my wife, and visa versa.

Hopefully this review can help you make a decision on what to plant in your own garden. If it did, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Until next time, this is Luke from Grow To Save signing off.

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]]>http://growtosave.com/heirloom-tomatoes-review/feed2Fall Garden Opportunitieshttp://growtosave.com/fall-garden-opportunities
http://growtosave.com/fall-garden-opportunities#commentsThu, 24 Aug 2017 16:10:36 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=673 Fall Garden: Savor the Flavor The approach of Autumn presents many fall garden opportunities. Hopefully you’re planning well in advance. But if not, that’s okay too because some plants can be ready quickly. Maybe late summer/early fall snuck up on you. One great benefit from cool fall weather is that many plants become sweeter […]

Fall Garden: Savor the Flavor

The approach of Autumn presents many fall garden opportunities. Hopefully you’re planning well in advance. But if not, that’s okay too because some plants can be ready quickly. Maybe late summer/early fall snuck up on you.

One great benefit from cool fall weather is that many plants become sweeter and more flavorful. Frost has a funny way of making cold-tolerant vegetables produce sugars, causing them to taste sweeter.

If you’re trying to capitalize on this, then let’s talk about how to plan things out. Listed below are several plants that are great for fall gardens. But first, let’s discuss a few practical ways to determine when to sow.

Planning By First Freeze

When planning your fall garden, a good starting point is to check when the average first freeze in your area is. The map below is from the National Weather Service and gives a good estimate. For more details on your area, go to the website and enter your zip code.

National Weather Service First Freeze Map

Once you have an approximate timeframe on the first freeze, you can work backward to plan out your crops. For a fall garden, it is best to choose crops that are cold tolerant. Planting things like peppers at this point isn’t a good idea as one freezing night could kill everything.

The reason for being aware of the first frost is because you want to plan for harvesting around this time or shortly thereafter. Remember, that’s when the sweetness occurs.

Some crops, however, are very cold tolerant and can be harvested well beyond the first frost. Just try to have your plants at somewhat mature level by that time to reduce the chances of them dying from it.

Shorter Days To Maturity

Also known as “days to harvest,” this is the approximate time it takes for your plants to start from seed until they are ready to be picked. The plants below are common fall vegetables with short times until harvest.

Bear in mind, many of these that say 30 days mean that is the *earliest* to attempt a harvest. For example, spinach leaves would be baby size.

Spinach

Ready in: 30-45 days

Radishes

Ready in: 30-40 days

Arugula (aka Rocket)

Ready in: 30 days

Bok Choy/Pak Choy

Ready in: 30-40 days

Lettuces

Ready in: 30 days depending on variety.

Kale

Ready in: 30 days to baby leaves, 60 days to full maturity.

Mustard Greens

Ready in: 30 days to baby leaves, 60 days to full maturity.

Green Onions

Ready in: 30-45 days

Swiss Chard

Ready in: 45 days for young leaves.

Turnips

Ready in: 30 days for greens, 60 days for roots.

Spinach Leaves

Arugula - AKA Rocket

Kale

Longer Days to Maturity

If you’re not in such a hurry, these plants can be planned for in advance. When planning make sure you have the space requirements for everything, keeping in mind that you’ll probably still have summer crops in the ground.

Beets

Ready in: 45-65 days

Broccoli

Ready in: 85-100 days

Brussel Sprouts

Ready in: 85-100 days

Cauliflower

Ready in: 70-120 days

Cabbage

Ready in: 100 days

Carrots

Ready in: 65 days

Peas (Sugar Snap)

Ready in: 60 days

Parsley

Ready in: 70-90 days

Kohlrabi

Ready in: 65 days

Garlic

Ready in: 90 days

Leeks

Ready in 120 days

Beets

Brussel Sprouts

Kohlrabi

Plan Your Fall Garden

By now that you have a good idea of plant time frames to work with. You can easily put together a schedule for when to plant what.

One of the benefits of all these different ready dates is that you don’t have to do everything at once. Planning ahead can allow you to break up the work into manageable working times.

No doubt, the end of summer and early fall tend to be a very busy time for most people. Kids are going back to school, people are trying to squeeze in their last bit of summer fun before the weather changes. And on top of all that, there seems to be no shortage of local events you may want to attend.

This is another reason why planning ahead can be very beneficial. If you haven’t already, let me encourage you to make a spreadsheet of what and when to plant. Add planting dates to your calendar so that you aren’t caught off guard.

Additional Planning

Taking time to plan gardening days well in advance also means you don’t have to do all the work at once. That’s great for when something else inevitably comes up.

Let me encourage you to do some extra research on each individual plant you choose. You may need to do some seed starting indoors. Besides each plant having their own specific needs, there are even individual varieties within each type.

For example, there are many varieties of kale. Some varieties are even more cold tolerant than others.

Depending on where you live the cold may not be such a bother. But if you live up north like me, it would be wise to look into this subject. If you’re feeling scientific and have space, try experimenting with several varieties to find which works (and tastes) best.

Think You're Too Late?

If this article caught you too late for planning ahead, then planting some of the quicker growing crops listed above ASAP may still bring you some extra harvest. Better still, you can begin working on plans for next year’s fall planting schedule.

Keep in mind that most of the crops listed are cold-tolerant and can survive below freezing temperatures. Some of them are very hardy and might survive most of the winter depending on where you live.

Good luck with your fall garden and happy planting!

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]]>http://growtosave.com/fall-garden-opportunities/feed2http://growtosave.com/simple-fermented-pickles-guide
http://growtosave.com/simple-fermented-pickles-guide#respondSun, 06 Aug 2017 04:07:11 +0000http://growtosave.com/?p=464 Simple Fermented Pickles Guide Equipment The right kind of jars make a difference. This clamp-top style has wide openings making packing easy. The rubber seals let gases escape while also keeping air out, preventing harmful bacteria from growing. This style is available in many sizes and you can get them much larger than… Mason […]

Preparation

The salt will prevent harmful bacteria from growing until enough lactic acid has built up to preserve the pickles.

Next, scrub the cucumbers with a vegetable brush and wash all other ingredients with filtered water.

Tip 1: Peel the garlic but leave it whole as cutting it up can make your pickles extra garlicky.

Tip 2: Cut the seeds out of your jalapenos to get the flavor without too much heat.

Mix The Brine

Make your brine with filtered or purified water. Not that chlorinated, fluoridated stuff from the tap.

Dissolve 12 Tablespoons of unrefined salt such as sea salt or kosher salt per gallon of water.

It may be easiest to warm the water a little in a pot on the stove and stir in the salt until fully dissolved.

Just be sure to let the it return to room temp before filling your jars.

Time To Pack Your Jars

Step 1

First, drop your dill, garlic and jalapenos in each jar.

Garlic can be overwhelming, so it may be a good idea to just use one clove per jar.

Notice that you don’t need too much dill.

Step 2

Next, decide how you want to cut your cucumbers.

Its important that your cucumbers do not sit higher than the lowest ring on the neck of the jar.

Hold spears next to the jar and cut down to the size you need.

Then pack them into the jars as tight as you can and pour in brine to slightly past the lowest ring.

Step 3

This step is important. Your cucumbers must say submerged in the brine to ferment safely and properly.

To do this you can use cabbage leaves as shown. Or you can purchase glass weights that are made just for this.

When the pickles are ready, simply throw the cabbage out. Be sure to pack enough leaves to keep your cucumbers submerged.

Step 4

Final step. Put the lids on and you’re done! For the first type of jars shown, simply close the lid and clamp shut.

If you are using the special fermentation lids for Mason Jars, then just follow the instructions included.

Set your jars in a room temperature area around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now Let Them Sit

Within a few days your cucumbers will begin to change colors and look more like pickles.

The brine will likely become cloudy but this is normal so don’t get discouraged.

Once a day or so you can walk by and gently wiggle the jars to send bubbles to the surface where they can escape.

IMPORTANT: let them sit for about 3 weeks. That may seem like a long time, but it is necessary for this recipe.

You may be tempted to open and try them earlier. Just know that letting out all the gases too early and letting oxygen in could mess things up and ruin your pickles.

Enjoy!

After about 3 weeks you can open and taste your pickles.

Be sure to open the jars SLOWLY! They will erupt all over your counter if you aren’t careful. Carbonation is a real factor when fermenting.

If you used cabbage, discard it and don’t try eating it. There might even be some mold on it. This is normal and is the reason behind making sure your pickles stay submerged throughout the process.

Time To Refrigerate

When at long last you have finally opened and tasted your pickles, simply put what’s left in the fridge. Your new pickles will keep for several months when stored this way.

That is… if they last that long.

If you are using Mason Jars with the special fermentation lids, simply replace them with reusable lids.

Congratulations! You have successfully made fermented pickles. We hope you enjoy them! If you tried this recipe please let us know what you think in the comments below. Cheers!

Final Tips

Although unlikely, if you discover a white residue forming at the top of the brine it is safe. It is most likely yeast that has formed. You can just scrape it off.

There could even be some mold on the surface of the brine. The general consenus is that, so long as your pickles have remained below the brine, they are safe. Thus, you could scrape it off and enjoy your pickles.

However, this is entirely up to you. Just be aware this is somewhat common when fermenting. If it doesn’t pass your own smell/taste test, toss it and try again.

If you choose to open your jars early to test if the pickles are done, you expose them to oxygen. This can allow bad bacteria to form inside the jars causing mold. For this reason, patience is encouraged.

3 weeks is a long time, but it’s worth the wait!

*** Last but not least, plan on your jars leaking as the gasses force their way out. Keep them in a place where the brine won’t stain what they’re sitting on, or set them on a plate or something.